To think my friend shouldn't have taken this money?

[Gracelet]

She was at a National Trust type place which had a second hand book section. As she was browsing she found £165 hidden in one of the books. Rather than hand it in she just kept it and looked rather shocked when I said it was theft.

My perspective - the book belonged to the shop and therefore so does the money.

Her perspective - just luck she came across it so decided to keep it/the shop should have checked the books.

Just for extra info, she doesn't struggle with money but does live payday to payday.

£165 that shouod just about cover the cost of parking, tea & cake, and a souvenir tea-towel from the Gift Shop.

Is it not called 'theft by finding'?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theft_by_finding

It's not theft. Someone abandoned money. Someone found it. Legally, that's not theft? That's finding something. Only on Mumsnet are people such liars. I guarentee none of you would hand it in in real life!

The National Trust is not lacking in money and massively underpay their staff. I'd have kept it. They can only track the owner if the book's value had been gift aided.

I would have bought the book - providing it didn't cost £20 or something similarly stupid for a second hand book, knowing what NT shops are like.

Isn't that theft by finding?

Couldn't get wound up over this. I would've handed it in but I know a lot of people who would take it, and I wouldn't begrudge them for it.

You say she has enough money, but if she's living pay check to pay check, then she doesn't actually have a lot of money.

I live payday to payday and could really do with that sort of money.

Meh, leave her to it.

Didn't anyone notice her pulling the money out of the different pages? Must have taken some time to go through all the pages to find the notes?

She should have bought the book.
However if she’s struggling I’d sooner she had the money than the NT.

I agree. There's a strong probability this is what happened

Blimey, I consider myself a pretty moral person but I think I'd have probably kept half and donated the other half back to the charity.

i think i would have slammed the book shut and bought it!
maybe,

I don’t believe the shop would have or could have traced the person who donated it. There’s no way of my local charity shop contacting me once I’ve donated something. In that case I think the shop staff’s procedure would have been to either keep it in “lost property” in case it was claimed or hand it into the police. I feel it was a case of finders keepers because it will never get back to the rightful owner. Buying the book was the right thing to do though

SMILE, you're on candid camera!

Surely the camera in the shop would have captured that rascal friend who is selfish and amoral. She knew it was not her money.

It was the property of the NT. Her intention was to deprive the NT of their property. The CPS/NT wouldn't have wanted it to go to court, though. She'd have handed it over during police interview.

I think that I might have split it and kept half, although I can think of better charities to give it to. The other books need to be checked, so I'd have handed over the £60 and kept the finders fee.

it is not really the NT money though
unless she gave it to them

she sounds very brazen, no shame
i hope she treated you to a cake op

That was my first question... but she didn't even have the good grace to buy the book! If she's really not struggling financially and she didn't buy the book then I think that's shocking.

If she was in a very difficult place financially then I can see how someone could justify it (Ie I could have just found it in the book when I got home) but if she didn't even by the book then absolutely not!

To be quite honest, I'd have kept it. I'd probably have bought the book though.
I'd probably end up giving at least that back to the NT over a bit of time, in entry fees and scones.

@wherearemywellingtons

I don't think too many people would say that they would hand it in on here but then not do that in real life. They probably just wouldn't comment.

I would definitely not have taken it. Possibly more the fool me but it wouldn't sit right with me to take it - particularly if she wasn't even prepared to buy the book.

She sounds awful. I'd have put it in the NT donations box.

Good for her, she found some money. They would never have been able to track it. The trust would have just just kept it as a donation.

I found a wadge of money recently and being a good citizen handed it in only to find out later that the person I handed it to pocketed the money. I will think twice if there is a next time and consider keeping it with maybe a charitable donation to absolve any guilt.

Legally, it is theft. Same as if you find money lying in the street — you are supposed to turn it in to the police.

If she'd bought the book then discovered the money I'd probably think fair enough, after all realistically they're never going to trace who donated it. Taking it out of the book in the shop & pocketing it is totally different. That's theft imo

I wonder if there was CCTV in this place? Bit embarrassing for her if she was caught on it.